GRS supervisor development workshops

Overview

As an HDR supervisor, you will have the privilege of watching your students grow into independent researchers who make a meaningful contribution to knowledge. You will also become part of a community of UTS staff who are committed to developing the next generation of professionals and researchers who can lead our global society.

In order to supervise HDR students, you must complete the initial supervision module Graduate research supervision at UTS (opens link to NEO). Registered supervisors are expected to continue developing their knowledge, skills, and capabilities to the satisfaction of the Responsible Academic Officer of their faculty. Failure to do so may result in removal from the register.

Foundations

• Graduate research supervision at UTS 
  This online module is an introduction to graduate research supervision at UTS. It is an overview of the global, Australian, and UTS contexts for graduate research education. In addition to providing an important summary of UTS policies and guidelines, it also offers an entry point into understanding the foundations of effective HDR supervision practices. These practices must take into account the purpose of the contemporary HDR degree. The module is a mandatory requirement to register as an HDR supervisor.

Upcoming Supervisor Development Workshops

Recruiting HDR Students - Supervisor Conversations Series #1 on 22 October 10:00 - 11:00am

The first step on the journey to HDR student success is a thoughtful and effective recruitment process.

This online seminar is designed for supervisors at all levels of experience who want to strategically explore the issue of recruitment effectiveness.

Hosted by A/Prof John Rees of the Graduate Research School, the session will be framed by a conversation with Prof Shoudong Huang, UTS Vice Chancellor's Supervisor of the Year (2023).

The 1-hour interactive seminar will enable HDR supervisors to:

• identify challenges in HDR candidate recruitment
• consider factors in evaluating candidate suitability
• develop strategies for building a candidate cohort
• access resources for an enhanced understanding of HDR recruitment

Supervisor Conversations Series - This session is the first in a series of conversations with supervisors on a range of topics.

Please register here to attend.

Past themes and topics

Foundations

• Research questions and beginning writing 
  The focus of this workshop is on working with graduate research students who are in their early stages of candidature. In particular, it looks at supporting students as they formulate research questions/problems, pursue initial research processes and begin writing—all of which need to be contextualised within the student’s specific discipline/field of practice. The module foregrounds how to help students get started and get writing, and how to give guidance and effective feedback on their work. Watch the replay here (Password: 2n@=e*UU).

Building strong supervisory practices

• Supervising distance and part-time research students
  Research doesn't always take place on campus. Whether a student is undertaking field research, completing a PhD by distance mode, or simply studying part-time, students who aren't on campus full-time can benefit from different approaches to supervision. This session focuses on how to maintain good communication and progress with distance and part-time students, as well as supporting their ongoing wellbeing and development as professional researchers.
• Holding challenging conversations
  Research supervision is a multiyear relationship that encompasses a variety of responsibilities, milestones, and potential approaches. Some conflict is likely, and not inherently a problem: what makes conflicts healthy or harmful depends on how they're managed. This workshop focuses on how to have challenging conversations in a way that helps produce resolution rather than resentment. 
• Working with graduate research students 
  This session considers ways of working as a supervisor or member of a supervisory panel for graduate research students. It explores a range of supervisory styles and how these develop different kinds of relationships with students. Topics under consideration include negotiating expectations and ways of working, collaboratively setting goals and developing research plans, working with students from diverse contexts, managing problems, and ensuring graduate research study plans assist students in successfully moving through the stages of assessment.
• Collaborative, cross-disciplinary supervision 
  This session begins with an exploration of conceptions of cross-disciplinary research. It focuses on what this means for graduate research supervision and explores how supervisors can develop productive collaborative ways of working with one another and with students across disciplines and/or fields of practice. The session introduces ideas and strategies for working in a research environment where different theories are brought together and knowledge is being generated from different disciplinary frames using new methods and insights. It emphasises the importance of articulating what counts as quality research in cross-disciplinary work.
• Mentoring and co-supervision 
  This session introduces a number of tools and practices that support a productive mentoring relationship between established and earlier career supervisors. It focuses on developing ways of working together as supervisors of graduate research students, including negotiating a mentoring agreement and exploring how roles might change during the course of a candidature.
• Understanding industry PhD programs
  Industry-embedded PhDs can be a powerful mechanism to build research partnerships, drive collaboration, and contribute to real-world impact. This workshop offers an overview of the why, what, and how of industry PhDs, including how to make existing programs like the National Industry PhD Program and UTS's Industry Doctorate Program work for you.

Supporting the thesis journey

• Research questions and beginning writing 
  The focus of this session is on working with graduate research students who are in their early stages of candidature. In particular, it looks at supporting students as they formulate research questions/problems, pursue initial research processes and begin writing—all of which need to be contextualised within the student’s specific discipline/field of practice. The session foregrounds how to help students get started and get writing, and how to give guidance and effective feedback on their work.
• Supporting progress: managing the graduate research journey
  This session supports the ongoing relationship between supervisors and graduate research students who have completed Stage One of their candidature. It explores ways of ensuring that supervisory relationships remain positive and productive. Participants will consider a range of supervisory styles and discuss how these may be relevant to advanced candidates. Topics under consideration include (re)negotiating expectations and ways of working, publishing, managing problems, ethical practice and ensuring graduate research study plans assist students in achieving the goals set out in the final stage of their plan.
• Writing up the thesis 
  The focus of this session is on working with graduate research students who are in their final stage of candidature. In particular, it is aimed at supporting students as they complete and submit their theses for examination, in the staged and organized ways that are appropriate for their discipline/field of practice. This involves extending students’ skills in conceptualising and categorising relevant literature; analysing, presenting and discussing data; and writing a well-structured, cohesive thesis.
• So you want to do a NTRO?
  Not all scholarly research turns into a journal article. A software algorithm, architectural design, film, or article of clothing could all be Non-Traditional Research Outputs (NTROs). UTS PhDs can integrate NTROs into their research journey, part of the distinctive way UTS supports our students to explore issues and problems that are meaningful to them. This session covers the value and impact of NTROs, how to evaluate their quality, and how to incorporate them into HDR research.

Fostering a healthy and inclusive research culture

• Managing for success: supporting HDR mental health and wellbeing
  This session focuses on understanding mental health and the role it plays in student success.  Topics under consideration include the foundations of mental health, warning signs of stress and mental health concerns, and avoiding common pitfalls in mental health conversations with students. Supervisors will also learn about the resources available to support student wellbeing and how to implement strategies of self-care.

• Neurodiversity ally and accessibility training
  Ensuring that our research culture embraces diversity is critical to our excellence, creativity, and the future innovative capacity we are developing through our research training. This highly interactive workshop provides an immersive experience of Neurodiversity inclusion in a higher education context and equips participants to work confidently in Neurodiverse spaces in the future.

• Supervising Indigenous Australian HDR students for success 
  This session will provide supervisors of Indigenous research students with various points to consider when supervising. This workshop has three key areas of focus: the HDR student, the research and support.

• Supervising international research students 
  This session explores ways of working with international students, and the role research supervisors can play in supporting their effective acculturation and learning as a graduate research student at UTS. The workshop focuses on intercultural communication skills as well as ideas and strategies for working with students and colleagues from diverse backgrounds. 

Thinking beyond the thesis

• Strategic recruitment and admissions
  The first step on the journey to HDR student success is a thoughtful recruitment and admissions process. This session will cover how to approach student recruitment and admissions proactively, strategically, and effectively—helping you maximise the likelihood of attracting and selecting the best candidates. 
• Publishing for (and with) HDRs
  Scholarly publication is a critical part of an HDR student’s intellectual journey, development of a professional profile, and enculturation into a community of scholars. Yet expectations and norms around co-authorship can vary widely across disciplines and cultures, leading to interpersonal and professional challenges if not dealt with proactively. Incorporating a variety of disciplinary perspectives, this workshop will consider the practical, ethical, and intellectual property foundations of successful co-publishing.
• Working on careers: around and beyond the thesis 
  This session focuses on working with graduate research students in developing their careers. It explores relevant trends in the future of work and the variety of ways HDR students create impactful careers. Participants will learn how to better support students in planning the next steps in their careers, with a particular emphasis on engaging with scholarly and professional research communities, establishing relationships and networks, communicating their research through scholarly and public channels, and leveraging UTS Careers resources.
• Building industry engagement with research students
  Supporting research students to undertake industry engagement has a number of benefits for all parties. Supervisors build research partnerships and develop a track record for research funding programs. Students develop multifaceted research thinking, enhance networks, and strengthen professional skills. This workshop focuses on effectively incorporating students into research partnerships and supervising them to ensure they, their thesis, and the partnership are all successful.